Let's Play
by Sable-Reiver
Summary: Sora and Riku have a YouTube channel where they upload Let's Play videos, until they have a bit of a falling out. SoRiku - AU with a Happy Ending.


Sora giggled as he tried to get Riku to settle, the other man shifting the controller in his hands and changing position a few dozen times. "It's the same as always."

Riku glanced over to where Kairi was lazily reclined on the arm of the couch. "Except it's _not_."

Which was only _kind of_ true. "Just talk a little more and you'll be _golden_." Riku glowered but Sora hit record, throwing himself back on the couch while yelling, "Let's play!"

And surprisingly, Sora was right; they loved it, loved _him,_ and the decisive way he cut through the games until he got so frustrated he almost had an aneurysm.

"Once again this is Sora, Riku, and Kairi, and we'll be seeing you all next week!"

He stopped the recording, and Riku stared down at the controller in his hands.

"I told you." Sora was grinning as if he hadn't been convincing Riku that recording their game time together was fun every Friday even though it had been weeks. "They love you. I mean, they love Kairi too, but you _tear up_ the games we play."

"Yeah." And that in and of itself was kind of surreal.

Riku was always aware that Kairi filmed their gaming live along with the digital recording. It was ritual by now, they'd play for an hour, she'd film, they'd order in and watch a movie. Fridays done. He knew their content went on Youtube and that Sora had a respectable amount of subscribers that were beginning to add up to a paycheck from Google. It was, put simply, fun and _interesting_.

And while Riku was aware of exactly what he was doing he didn't expect for it to interfere in his normal life. I mean, who cared enough about him sometimes gaming with Sora for a Youtube channel? At least a small group of people cared, it seemed.

"Oh my god! You're Riku from Kingdom Keys!" the barista whipping up his coffee cried, almost spilling the hot beverage all over herself in the process. "You were spectacular in Halo the other week. Simply amazing. I didn't know it was possible to beat the level that quickly!"

It takes a good five minutes but Riku is finally able to leave, having stumbled through with nods and vague comments on having played the game before and, well, it helps not having wanted to play it in the first place but Riku didn't want to crush Sora's fans by saying that.

A week later he's stopped while buying gas for his motorcycle to sign an xBox controller. He doesn't tell them he's more of a Playstation guy and refuses to question why they had their controller on them in the first place.

Getting recognized by Sora's fans still isn't exactly a common thing for him, but he does tell Sora about the encounters when they happen and Sora explains it's because of the live content he releases sometimes. Riku hits him over the back of the head because, _he knows_, but Sora tells him a couple of stories about being recognized himself and it helps settle Riku's stomach a little.

Having Sora recognized outside of the virtual world decidedly no longer settles Riku's stomach. That's what he finds out when they're out to a movie together and everyone from the man behind the concession counter to the girl ripping their ticket stubs decides it'd be cool to flirt with an infamous Youtuber and maybe get their autograph. He gets angry because he knows that Sora's too nice to tell them off and that he won't admit to Riku that he loves being recognized. Riku doesn't admit that he was looking forward to some one on one time with his best friend and that being vaguely internet famous is detracting from it.

Still the strangers coo at them and comment on conversations that happened in games posted months ago as if there had been no time lapse. And it's fine, the people are nice, but it sours Riku's mood and even though he'd been looking forward to the movie he can't seem to enjoy it when they finally get into the theatre.

Riku kind of hates the internet.

It's not that he enjoys lying to Sora, but if saying that work has him pulling longer hours and he can't do their Friday night sessions anymore works without hurting his friend, Riku'll do it.

Sora's Youtube channel skyrockets into popularity when a video of him teaming up with two well-known Youtubers – Donald and Goofy – goes viral. Even though he knows that he and Sora are still best friends, he feels like he's missing whole chapters out of the Book of Sora and it hurts more than he'd like to admit.

Kairi texts him occasionally, telling him that Sora misses him and that they're waiting for him to come back. Riku watches Sora's videos religiously and doesn't think that they sound like they miss his presence, in fact, with Donald and Goofy making semi-regular appearances it seems like they don't even have room for him on the Kingdom Key's channel at all.

Sora texts him constantly. At first it was questions and obvious attempts at getting Riku to converse or to come back but when Riku tried to respond he found himself depressed and angry. He never manages to reply and now Sora simply keeps him updated. Sometimes it's stupid things like 'Got extra ginger beef!' (like they always do because they both can eat their own order of it), these Riku can handle, but sometimes it's more serious and he can't. No matter the message Riku is just glad that, no matter what happens on the channel, Riku is still apart of Sora's life in some way.

He may or may not be a little bit in love with his best friend, but that just seems to be another point in the Stay Away column for now.

Riku finds a sort of sadness every time he turns on his Playstation and he finds himself staring at recording software and microphones whenever he goes to the store. It doesn't take him long to set it up. Even if he doesn't post anything he records it helps to fill the void that Sora used to fill as he pretends to talk to his best friend.

Eventually Riku invites his two friends from work to come and game with him. The recording software prompts him when the system starts up and he asks them if they would mind being recorded. Namine is polite and says she doesn't mind. Axel pretty much jumps off of the couch in excitement.

The void in Riku's chest doesn't get filled, but he still feels less hollow.

It takes time and a lot of coaxing from Axel to post anything, it all feels too personal. But he edits lots of audio out and a little bit of the video. He listens to himself talking with Axel and laughing when Namine beats them all at their objective. He sounds happy.

He starts posting videos.

Sora stops texting him a few weeks later and Riku uploads a video as if nothing is wrong before collapsing on his bed and crying until the weekend is over. He didn't realize that although he cut himself off from his best friend he hadn't truly lost him until now.

Kingdom Key's contacts him after he reaches 200 subscribers, he can't believe his channel has gotten any views at all, let alone be big enough that Sora's internet persona is now asking to do a Let's Play with him.

Riku doesn't respond wondering if Sora knows it's him or at least suspects like some of his viewers. It makes him nervous and as great as it would be to hear Sora's voice again he doesn't know if he could record for an hour without breaking down into tears.

Sora asks him again about a month later, saying that he already sent a message but that it was probably eaten by Youtube's communication system. That night Riku get's drunk on half a bottle of rum he has in the cupboard and wakes up to another message from Sora.

He really hates Drunk Riku sometimes. But now he's made a commitment to play games with Sora this Friday. He didn't give his name and suggested only online games so that they didn't have to meet in person. For a moron Drunk Riku is pretty smart.

There's still radio silence from the real Sora, Riku doesn't know why he thought it'd be different after their brief online discussion. It had seemed logical that, out of all the people on the internet, his best friend should have been able to see that it was him under his flimsy Youtube handle.

It makes him wonder how close of friends they really were.

Friday is a nightmare and by the time that he and Sora have set up for the recording they have been talking for an hour and Riku has been nothing but awkward and curt while Sora, ever a beam of light, has filled up silences and cut him off when he senses Riku is uncomfortable and never presses for his name. It's embarrassing that even as strangers Sora still can read him better than anyone in the world.

They finally get rolling and Riku realizes that, in order to not give himself away, that he's going to have to change up his gameplay. It's a miracle that Sora hasn't caught on with just his voice but it'd be impossible not to with both that and his style of playing games.

Riku works on playing poorly, asking dumb questions and running off cliffs and they die so much it's embarrassing but it's more fun than Riku thinks he's had in ages. They barely get through the first level but they're both laughing and cheering and end the video, staying and talking a little while longer.

"Again sometime?" Sora asks and he sounds hopeful, maybe a little hesitant.

"Sure." Riku says softly. He's never been able to say no to Sora and with the painful absence clawing at his heart he can't bring himself to want to.

"Awesome."

They cut the party and Riku sits there, impossibly happy for how terribly they just played, before realizing that Sora doesn't know it's him. He didn't ask _Riku_ to hang out. He asked _Highwind._

He calls Axel.

Axel, for all of his fanfare, stays silent and lets Riku explain his situation. "You have to tell him."

Riku feels scandalized and by the look Axel is throwing his way, it's showing on his face.

"Don't take it out on me, man, it was all your choices that lead you here. If we remove you from the situation, what do we have?"

"Why did I call you again?" Riku just wanted to vent about his situation not get lectured about his poor life choices. "I should have called Namine."

"Exactly. No problem." Axel continues like Riku had actually attempted to answer. "And why's that? Because you said you couldn't hang out, _you_ thought they were better off without you, and **_you_ **tried to replace them with me and Namine when you couldn't take it anymore."

It sounds awful and Riku opens his mouth to protest, not entirely sure what he's going to say but Axel cuts him off with a hand and leans forward, serious despite his usual cheery self. "I'm not saying you don't like us or that we're not actually friends, but instead of making room you're trying to shove us where two other people go and we just don't fit."

Riku doesn't know when it started, but he's shaking and if he wasn't already sitting he would have dropped to the floor by now. He doesn't know if he can hear the truth. All he wants is Sora back.

"Riku, you can have all of us in your life; you have me and Namine, I'm pretty sure you still have Kairi, but if you want Sora back you have to say something and tell him how you feel and that it doesn't justify what you did but helps explain why you did it."

"But if I tell Sora I'm in love with him he won't even want to be friends!"

The blank stare that Axel has for a moment starts to form into a smile, breaking the tension as Riku realizes that the phrase 'tell him how you feel' meant 'alone' and 'unwanted' and was not supposed to include 'in love with'.

"Look at that! I called it and Namine owes me 20."Axel gets off the couch and moves over to where Riku is sitting on a kitchen stool. "That explains it."

Riku just glares at Axel because he explained it just fine without words like love.

"Jealous." Better.

Axel keeps trying to catch Riku's eye but Riku looks defiantly away, a flush across his cheeks as he pretends he's not embarrassed. Pretends that he didn't essentailly ran away from his best friend because he was having feelings.

"So change of plan." The distinctive scrape of Axel pulling up another bar stool is obnoxious but also tells Riku he's safe to open his eyes again. "You tell Sora that you're head-over-heels in love with him and that it's cool if he doesn't feel the same but that you need him back in your life otherwise you're just going to Youtube stalk him until your only remaining friends cut off your WiFi and leave you to wallow in self pity."

"You have such a way with words." He shoves at Axel who almost falls off his stool, but thinks he has a point. Axel drapes an arm over Riku's shoulders and leans into him.

"You know I'm right."

"You're a moron" Riku sighs, " But you are a correct moron."

They order in pizza.

It appears, Riku figures out as he stares at his phone, deleting the 25th message he had typed out for Sora, that only Drunk Riku can get results because Sober Riku is pretty concerned whether or not the phrase 'let you go' will have Sora get affronted at the implication that Riku not only wanted to leave but had the power over Sora to make it happen.

His life is a mess.

They still don't talk until their next Youtube team up and Riku still can't tell him. It feels as though Riku has been lying for so long that the time when he could confess has long since passed. Still, if he wants Sora in his life at all he's going to have to tell him, not that Riku doesn't like the idea of more than friendship, but that he still wants to be friends.

They finish recording and Riku still hasn't worked up the courage to say anything.

Kingdom Keys and Highwind now do regular team ups and they release a video together at least once a fortnight and still Riku hasn't been able to say anything to Sora. It's probably a lost cause anyway.

It's not until a few months pass in their online friendship that they're recording a video together and Riku can tell, from years of practice, that Sora is itching to say something. Riku doesn't bring it up because he only knows the tells from years of observation and it's be weird for someone in a new friendship to notice.

Sora doesn't mention anything the whole time they're recording and it's not until they're about to sign off that Riku's phone starts going off with Kairi's ringtone and Sora stops talking in the middle of his sentence.

"Riku?" And before anything else can happen Riku drops the connection and stares at his monitor in terror. Sora knows.

He turns off his phone and gets out The Princess Bride. It's going to be one of _those_ nights.

The night turns out significantly different than how Riku originally imagined it. Mostly because there's a knock on his door and Riku knows no one who would drop by unannounced like this.

He decides to wait it out. Whoever it is will go away.

They don't.

For five minutes the knocking on his door continues until Riku finally pauses the movie and gets up to answer the incessant pounding.

It's Sora. Somehow, with all the possible outcomes of the evening this hadn't even made the list.

"You're an asshole." For the first words that either of them, that _Sora _and _Riku_, have said to each other for months it's better than Riku thought and, oddly enough, makes him feel more like himself than he has in ages.

"Yeah," is all he finds himself able to say in return.

Sora takes a step inside of Riku's apartment and Riku can only yield. He watches as the brunet paces, thinking of words to say even though Riku is sure that he had too many words vying for attention until he entered the apartment.

Gingerly, Riku settles on the arm of his own couch and opens his mouth to speak; Sora deserves an apology if nothing else.

"No." Sora points a finger at Riku. "You've shut me out and you've remained silent for _months,_" his voice breaks but both of them pretend that they didn't hear it. "I think you can manage it for another _minute_."

Riku shuts his mouth as he's told but refrains from miming locking it with a key. Instead he simply nods and continues to watch Sora's every move, his body almost aching with how much he missed just having his best friend in the same room.

Seeming to relax into himself Sora begins to talk again. "It was fine at first, I understood that every Friday is a big commitment, but then you just stopped coming altogether and so I texted you and you just didn't respond anymore. I thought that if I texted you I could act like you were still there, just not that night, just not at that moment." Riku shifts uncomfortably, knowing that he deserves worse than the chat they're having now. "The worst part was, though, that after _months_ I couldn't pretend anymore and I stopped playing games, instead I started uploading from a file that I made just incase. I was a wreck, Riku, and you weren't there and I didn't know what to do without you."

Sora stops pacing and stands there, arms akimbo, staring at Riku as if the reason was written on his face. He's quieter as he continues. "You're my best friend Riku and you shut me out and I love Kairi but I need both of you in my life. I don't need her like I need you and I don't need you like I need her." Riku breaks eye contact for a moment. Sora deserves to have Riku's full attention but Riku's afraid he's going to lose his best friend and he doesn't think he can take it. "Then Kairi starts finding people on the Internet, tries to get me out again by connecting with them, and they're cool people, but they're not you." Now Sora looks away, looks out the window at Riku's great view of the apartment complex across the parking lot. "Then I found _Highwind_, and he was funny and sounded like you and I thought that playing with him would help fill the void that you left me with and I had fun. And for awhile; I just pretended he was you. He acted so similar to you when we first met and it was like I got a second chance to be your friend."

It looks like Sora doesn't want to give up the high ground but he walks to the other side of the couch and perches on the other arm, firmly keeping eye contact. "Kairi thought I was crazy, she also thought that Highwind actually _was_ you and when I didn't believe her she decided to call you during one of our recordings. When I heard that Under the Sea remix that you love so much I couldn't believe that she was right and then you sign off without an explanation?" The look on Sora's face changes from disbelieving to determined, almost fierce. "And I'm not letting you go again, I will hunt you down because I can't lose you again. I love you and I need you in my life even though you're an asshole."

And really, Riku can't argue with that statement but he also can't help but be touched by Sora's words as well as reciprocate them, though he doesn't say so out loud.

Sora breathes in deeply and sits down on the cushions. Riku knows this, has known Sora for so long that he recognizes the calming gesture and that he's trying to switch gears right now. Riku needs him to yell more, deserves it.

"Talk to me, Riku. I've said my piece and I know you know it all already. It's your turn. I still don't know any of your side of this. I'm here for you to talk to, you know. I'm still your friend."

A knot wells in Riku's chest when Sora says they're still friends. It's almost impossible to think they are after what Riku put him through. "I'm sorry." Is what he gets out, start with what he knows for certain. Sora rolls his eyes, but it still needed to be said. "I hated all the attention you were receiving, it felt like when we were together you were still so far from me. I know it's selfish but I wanted it to be like when we were kids and we were each other's whole world." Riku swallows heavily, he's staring at his hands and he hadn't known just how true these thoughts were until they leapt from his throat, demanding to be heard. "I thought I just needed time, but then it didn't seem like you felt my absence and it was so much harder to talk to you and bridge the gap that I kept making wider."

The physically shrinking gap between them as Sora shuffles closer makes Riku's skin itch. After his best friend has gone 90% of the way, it's the least Riku can do to actually lean into the brunet and establish the physical connection that finally settles him. "You know, when we were younger, I always thought I was better than you at everything." He feels so ashamed and embarrassed saying it out loud, but with Sora finally beside him and tangible Riku feels like he can take anything thrown at him. Like always, his best friend is giving him strength. "But I realized, in these past months, that the only part about myself that is worth anything, is you."

The television set before them is paused on Buttercup rolling down the hill after her true love, and while the picture is out of focus they're both staring ahead at it like it's the moon over the ocean.

"That's funny." Sora says, the smile in his voice audible. "You know I was convinced that you were better than me until pretty recently, I think the only difference between now and then is that our idea of what makes us better has changed." The lump in Riku's throat makes it nearly impossible for him to swallow down the tears threatening to break free. "Besides, I was just thinking that there was something pretty great about being me." Riku looks over at the greatest person in the world, the light in his world of darkness, and is mystified. "It's having you in my life." He nudges Riku gently and there doesn't seem to be any angry tension left in the room.

The silence between them is comfortable, the electronic hum of the TV the only thing surrounding their small oasis. Even if not everything is fixed, it's so reassuring to be next to one another that, in the moment, it doesn't matter.

"Okay, now you're making me feel bad, is that what you want to hear!?" Sora says after entering the kitchen.

"What?" Asks Riku, feigning ignorance while in the middle of removing his oven mitts. "I felt like baking."

It's a predictable scenario, one they've run through hundreds of times. Both of them know the other's lines without thinking and the familiarity of it makes Riku's heart jump happily.

"Not only do you never feel like baking on a weekday, but I have to beg and plead and pull out holiday induced sympathy for you to even consider making cinnamon rolls."

It's been almost a month since the confrontation and Riku still feels like he has to make up for it. Besides, it was such a long time to not have his best friend in his life that he figures that maximizing the exposure will make up for lost time. "I just thought they'd be good for breakfast tomorrow."

"If they make it until breakfast," Sora mumbles, crossing the room as though in a trance and picking up one of the hot rolls.

"They're hot," Riku intones, "and uniced." Sora waves him off and picks up a roll anyway, almost dropping it when it burns his fingers. He quickly catches it in his left hand and sets it down, messily, onto the counter.

Kairi's ensuing laughter accompanies Riku's knowing smirk and is so loud that Namine comes to see what the matter is. "Hurry up, I'm afraid Axel is going to wet the couch if he has to wait much longer," Namine says, leading Kairi back onto the living room.

The silence left between the two boys lets them hear Kairi's laughter end and her words after, "I missed this."

It's obvious that any mention of the past few months are still a sore subject for Riku, and he busies himself with getting out the cream cheese glaze and making sure it's spreadable. The guilt is almost palpable.

"You know you can stop trying to make up for it." Sora says, poking at his cinnamon bun."We've already forgiven you."

Riku shifts uncomfortably. He doesn't feel as though he's earned any forgiveness yet but is selfish enough to not want to say anything that may push the two of them apart again.

"Now let's go play some games," Sora doesn't wait for Riku to say anything or to ice his cinnamon rolls, just drags him into Riku's crowded living room and pushes Riku onto the couch next to Axel. Sora takes his place next to his best friend and everyone settles down as the recording equipment is calibrated.

Having massive group Let's Plays is some of the most fun Riku has had in months. Everyone gets along surprisingly well and Riku takes it as a promising sign when he catches Kairi and Namine conspiring in the corner with each other. Their shenanigans are a hit online, despite the amount of people they have talking over each other. It helps that Kingdom Keys and Highwind have their own fans who flock happily to the joint channel, excited to see the interactions between the two gamers and their friends.

Things finally feel normal, and Riku couldn't be happier.

Riku and Sora are leaving a movie together, chatting happily about the plot twists and characters when it happens again. Someone recognizes Sora, but they also recognize Riku.

"Oh my god, your latest video was hilarious! I followed you onto your new chanel from Kingdom Keys and I just have to say that I love absolutely everyone but-" she cuts herself off and Riku turns to face her, trying his hardest to keep any jealousy and resentment out of his mind. "Oh my god, Highwind you're my favourite!"

Sora helps him navigate the conversation and extracts them with practiced ease. Riku is flustered and confused, he's never had anyone that excited to see him before, anyone he didn't personally know anyway, and Sora just laughs. It feels like old times and it fills Riku with a warmth he doesn't want to lose again.

Sora and Riku start spending most of their time together again, whether it's editing videos together in the same room, or going to dinner after work together, they remained side by side as though they could make up the months that they were separated. Riku doesn't know if they have ever spent this much time together before.

It feels good, it feels like everything Riku ever wanted in his life. There's a part of him, however, that feels guilty for relishing their time together as much as he can. It feels as though Riku is lying to Sora by not telling him everything and it tarnishes their interactions more and more.

"Hey, Sora?"

They're at Sora's house, Riku is in the kitchen making dinner and Sora is on the couch, marking assignments from the students he teaches as his full time job.

"Yeah?" Sora answers distractedly.

"I think there's something we need to talk about." He closes the oven door on the casserole and walks over to the living room and the minefield of papers circling out from Sora's position.

Sora adds a few more marks to the page in front of him and sets it aside onto one of the piles and moves his glasses onto the top of his head. "What is it?"

Riku's hands are sweaty and he doesn't really know what to say, but he knows that he has to say something, before it has the chance to wreck their relationship permanently. Sora waits patiently as Riku tries to find the words, "I have really enjoyed all the time we've been spending together and was hoping that you would like to get dinner with me this Saturday?"

"Yeah, where do you want to go?" Sora turns back to his papers, a move that implies the conversation doesn't require his full attention anymore.

Riku wonders how far he should push the issue. However he made a promise to himself that he would tell Sora of his feelings. They would move past it one way or another, but Riku couldn't without saying the words out loud.

"I would like to go on a date with you. On Saturday. Dinner and, I don't know, a movie after?"

Sora glances at him oddly before turning back to his marking. "Yeah, I got that. Where do you want to go?"

Gaping, Riku simply stares at Sora until the brunet relents and sets down his marking again and gives Riku his full attention again.

"Where would you like to go on our date, Riku?"

"That's it? That's all it took?"

"Yes? Are you feeling okay?" The confusion on Sora's face is giving way to concern. "Riku?"

"I guess I just expected something different than this when I finally asked you out on a date."

"But we've been dating for months now."

"What?"

"What?" A pause. "Have we not?" At this Sora's face starts to turn red, he and Riku in matching colours of embarrassment.

They stare at each other, both slack jawed and brain stuttering for purchase in light of their new realizations. Then Riku starts laughing, hard and loud, and full of so many emotions that he was not even aware he had been holding inside. Sora, still red and flustered, looks indignant a moment before he too begins laughing.

When the mirth wears off, the two of them look at each other, smiling and breathless, the tension gone from between them like it had never been there. Riku makes a space for himself on the arm of the couch and perches there, facing Sora.

"Why did you think we were dating?"

Sora begins shuffling through his papers, putting them in another type of order, but Riku assumes it's just to do with nerves. Sora has always liked to fiddle and fuss when he's nervous. "Well it wasn't just one thing, but I've pretty much moved into your apartment? And we go out on dates all the time? And I could tell you liked me and I thought it was pretty obvious that I liked you? I mean, I said I loved you and everything!"

"You also said you loved Kairi!" Counters Riku without heat.

"I also said I loved you in different ways and that I needed you…" the excuse is weak, Sora knows, but at the time it had felt like he had been revealing a part of himself that he hadn't shared with Riku before.

"So, in your mind I have so little game that it takes me months to kiss you or even hold hands?" There is mirth in Riku's voice, proof that he finds humour in the situation and is not actually offended.

"No! I just didn't know if you wanted that or were comfortable with it or…" Sora trails off, not too sure where to go now that he's realizing the justifications he has been making are not valid. "I didn't want to push you if you weren't sure you wanted this." Sora had never considered this before, but the words burn of truth as he says them. The sentiment is filled with a self doubt and insecurity that Sora has rarely felt before and he doesn't like admitting to it, even to Riku.

"Sora, you're the only thing I've been sure of in my entire life." Riku says. It's cheesy, but it's genuine. Riku wasn't sure about what University to attend, or if he should get his tattoo, or whether or not accounting was the right career path for him. But Sora...there had never been any doubt in his mind about having Sora in his life. Riku was happy, as long as Sora was there with him.

Sora is looking at him like he's just revealed something monumental even though Riku is sure that anyone who looks at him can physically see his devotion to Sora. "That's gay." Is what ends up spilling out of Sora's mouth.

It makes them both laugh again, Riku gets up from the arm of the couch and makes his way closer to his best friend through the paper labyrinth. "But it's true. How long have you been by my side? How hard have I worked to stay by yours?"

"Riku…" Sora scatters the papers left on his lap onto the coffee table, they fly everywhere and the chaos of it startles Riku more than the soft way Sora drawls his name.

Sora is standing in front of him and they're staring at each other, almost eye to eye, assessing each other. It feels as though Sora is staring into Riku's soul and judging his worth. Is Riku worthy enough? He doesn't think so, but Sora has always seen everyone as the best they could be, and it's one of the things that Riku loves about him.

"I love you." Sora says, smiling. He slowly reaches up and places his hand on Riku's shoulder. Every move is slow and deliberate and it makes the breath leave Riku's lungs. "In a romantic way. In the way that means I want to go on a date with you this Saturday, and next if you'll take me, and every Saturday after that, because I've been in love with you for longer than I think I even know, and you're the only thing I've never second-guessed."

If there is one thing Riku knows about Sora, it's that he doesn't second guess much of anything. Sora is always leaping into new situations and adventures and always chooses to look forward into a 'what now?' instead of a 'what if?'. But hearing Sora so sure of their relationship after everything Riku put him through still sends a happy warmth through his body.

"Well, I am feeling pretty generous today," Riku stares down into Sora's blue eyes with just a hint of a smile that belies the playful nature of his words, "so I'll agree to have you, every Saturday for as long as you'd like, but it'll cost you a kiss."

There is red staining Riku's cheekbones, but this is hardly the most embarrassing thing he's done in front of Sora, so he doesn't mind. There's little blotches of red covering Sora's own face, so at least they're in this together. Riku covers the hand on his shoulder with his own and cocks an eyebrow as though he's entirely sure of himself. Entirely sure of this thing between them.

Sora gives him a grin, the one that lights up whatever room he's in and draws people into his warm charm like a planetary orbit. He then pushes himself up onto his tip toes and into Riku's space, and kisses him gently on the lips. Riku, despite having suggested it in the first place, is too startled to do much of anything but let it happen.

Sora pulls away and Riku finds out that his hand has traveled to Sora's waist, where it sits warm and comfortably. "I guess that will buy you a few Saturdays."

Sora laughs, and Riku is filled with a nearly indescribable warmth. He leans down, and Sora meets him in the middle so that they can kiss again.

Riku knows that there are more conversations to be had, that their trust hasn't been fully built up since Riku disappeared for months without a word, but this is a pretty good beginning to rebuild what they had and turn it into something even better than it was.

The oven timer goes off, separating them, but the happy feeling stays with Riku as he goes to the kitchen to check on their casserole. "I was thinking Greek? Maybe at Herc's?"

Sora settles back into his seat, grinning even though his papers are a mess of marked and unmarked. "Sounds perfect."

And if Riku is being honest and looking forward the way that Sora always was so good at doing, it's really does sound like the perfect date.

**A/N:** Something else I had never finished from years ago. Hope it withstands the test of time. It also took me ages to finish as I had no idea where I was originally going with it!

-Reiver


End file.
